Word Origin & History

descend c.1300, from O.Fr. descendre, from L. descendere, from de- "down" + scandere "to climb," from PIE base *skand- "jump." Sense of "originate from" is late 14c. In typography, descender "part of a letter that extends below the body" is from 1802.

Example Sentences for descending

They were now descending a little hill at the foot of which stood a country tavern.

Still more exciting and difficult is the task of descending these rapids.

First, the water might be run off by a descending pipe, if an offlet could be Pg.

In descending the rapids of the river his canoe was over-set and all his papers lost, he narrowly escaping with his life.

Descending the winding way we find ourselves, a few minutes later, before St. Govan's Chapel.

In descending the river they had a good supply of corn, and stored away quite a quantity in a cache.

Let us begin with the descending gamut, and let the hand pass over all the divisions of the attractive centres.

One day, while descending the river, our travellers were witness to an illustration of this.

They came at length to a large double window opening on to some leads, and then descending by a flight of steps to the garden.

There now, that is better—I have stopped the stream from descending too far.